Building a rapport with customers to earn repeat business is a valuable skill in any industry. Wycliffe Williams has made that a priority in his work with soft drinks company John Barritt & Son Ltd. since 1971. In an interview with business reporter Alex Wright, sales manager Mr. Williams reflected on some of the high and low points during his years with the company.

From stocking small corner shops to supplying some of Bermuda's finest hotels and restaurants with their soft drink requirements — if you think of it, Wycliffe Williams has most probably dealt with the order.

For the sales manager at John Barritt & Son Ltd., the Island's biggest soft drinks manufacturer and distributor, is responsible for everything to do with selling including customer service and staff training.

Mr. Wycliffe started working as a helper on a truck at Barritt's in 1971, when it was based at the corner of Front and King Streets, loading drinks onto the trucks and delivering them to stores.

He worked his way up through the ranks, first as a supervisor and then achieving his life ambition to become a manager before he hit 40, at the age of 38, as a warehouse manager for 10 years and on-premises manager, before taking on the role of sales manager three years ago. He also spent a brief stint working for the prison service between 1978 and 1980.

His day can involve anything from making sure his employees exceed his sales targets to resolving any challenges facing his customers.

"It may be a challenge with one of our staff or it could be for an upgrade in their soft drink equipment," said Mr. Williams.

"It is just basically to meet our clients' and customers' needs and that is for hundreds of them Island-wide. I manage anybody who sells soft drinks in Bermuda."

Mr. Williams' favourite part of the job is dealing with people and he reckons the best thing about working for Barritt's is feeling like part of one big family.

"When I first started here it was basically for a job, but I noticed after a while that I was good with customers and built a good rapport with them and it felt easy and comfortable for me," he said. "And I also found that I really enjoyed selling soft drinks as well.

"I have met some challenges, some people just outright do not like me, but still you have to take the thick with the thin sometimes.

"The best thing about Barritt's is the family atmosphere — they treat you like family and RV Barritt treated me like a son."

He said the best title to describe him would be relationship manager because the role is all about building up a customer base and to get that message across to his sales staff to get repeat business.

"I try to empower my staff by telling them that while they are selling soft drinks they should build relationships with their customers and they will come back time and again and they will always remember you, and that is what happened with me," he said.

"I like to think of Barritt's tentacles reaching every little side street and alley in Bermuda.

"In all instances I always look at a one case sale as vital to this company — I try to impress upon my staff that even one case is important because if you have 500 customers and you can sell one case to each of them, that is 500 cases sold for the company. It is also important to the customer because they get what they want and trust Barritt's because they will deliver it when they say they will deliver it."

Mr. Williams believes the biggest change he has seen during his time in the soft drinks industry was moving from quite literally selling off the truck to a pre-sales system, where the products are ordered the day before depending on demand and one which has served Barritt's well ever since it was launched in 1983.

Among the greatest challenges he has faced was addressing customers' issues and concerns which at the time seemed unsurmountable. In particular, Mr. Williams recalls having to defend a member of his staff who was accused of stealing items from a client, who turned out to be innocent. He also remembered the sorrow and pain felt and coping with that of others, when he found a close colleague who died after falling into a ditch at Bernard Park following a night out. Mr. Williams had organised a search party across the Island involving the entire Barritt's staff.

Other anecdotes include the embarrassment of finding out the hard way a shop in Somerset he had to deliver to was closed despite not believing the first time when he was told by an elderly lady he met in the street, who then proceeded to question his sanity, much to the amusement of his colleague in the truck.

"Working at Barritt's you have got all kinds from fun guys to serious guys, but it is just a wonderful place to work really," he said.

"Management really works with the staff to try and make things better if there is an issue and they are just a great bunch of people to be around."

Mr. Williams, who is lives in Warwick and is married to Muriel, a nurse at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, has four children, including daughter Kamaria, who is a manager at Trenton in New Jersey, son Dulani, an audit specialist for Munich Re in Trenton, daughter Bianca, an account representative at American International Group in Bermuda, and son Bryce, a student, who is fluent in both French and Spanish, reading languages at university in Spain and who plans to work as a translator of the United Nations as a career. He also has two grandchildren, James, aged eight, and Briakyle, one.

Mr. Williams, who is a Seventh-day Adventist, has designs on training at university to become an international preacher when he retires and travel the world to spread the word.

He also has a passion for reading, particularly history books, and writing, with an article about US President-elect Barack Obama in the pipeline.

But family is the most important part of his life, with his nearest and dearest helping him with their support to recover from major surgery for prostate cancer in 2001.

For now though, his first love is people and offering the highest level of service to all those who rely on Barritt's to keep themselves, their business and customers refreshed and happy.